Matt Damon's Surprising Secret to Moviemaking Harmony with Ben and Casey Affleck

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been friends for 45 years, and their bond is as strong as ever. In a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Damon opened up about their friendship and how it has helped them both in their careers.

I think it's just a real deep abiding respect that's kind of based in 45 years of friendship, Damon said. As important as every movie is while you're making it, there's never any question about what's underneath our relationship, right? There's like such a deep and abiding kind of respect and love that however frantic — and it can get frantic making movies because you're literally like lighting money on fire while you're in production, Damon said.

Damon also credited the lack of diplomacy when they are on set. We solve problems a lot quicker because we can just be really blunt with each other because our egos aren't really involved, the 54-year-old actor added. Somebody saying they don't like your idea isn't a threatening thing. When a stranger says that, it's like, 'Oh my God, they think I'm talentless.' But like, if he tells me that ... that must have been a bad idea.

In their new movie, The Instigators, Damon and Casey play reluctant partners who set out to rob a corrupt politician. Casey co-wrote the heist film and says that — no offense to his brother — there was no question he wanted his great old friend for the part.

I've done a lot of movies that people haven't seen, so it's nice to be in ones that people do see, the 48-year-old actor told Yahoo. On the other hand, I'm incredibly lucky to have the career that I have, that we have and I'm aware of that every single day.

The Instigators starts streaming Aug. 19 on Apple TV+.